Emerging HIT

Meaningful Use

Provided for through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), are federal incentive payments that will be available to hospitals and eligible providers upon the adoption of electronic health records (EHR’s) and demonstration that they can use those systems in ways that support the improvement in quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of care. Through the HITECH Act, and the establishment of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued it final rule for meeting the meaningful use criteria.

What is the incentive program?

Under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive program there are financial incentives for the meaningful use of Certified EHR technology to achieve health, efficiency and quality goals. Through the implementation and the meaningful use of an EHR system, providers will obtain more than financial benefits, but also quality benefits through:

A Reduction in errors

Availability of records and data

Reminders and alerts

Clinical Decision Support

E-Prescribing

Refill automation

These incentives are available to eligible professionals, eligible hospital, and critical access hospitals that successfully demonstrate meaningful use of Electronic Health Record Technology each year they are participants in the program.